1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to ceramic electronic components and electronic devices including such electronic components.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the related art, ceramic electronic components, such as ceramic capacitors, are used in various electronic devices, for example, mobile communication terminals. For example, in a ceramic electronic component in which a pair of electrodes face each other with a dielectric ceramic layer disposed therebetween, the ceramic electronic component deforms when a voltage is applied due to distortion caused by a piezoelectric effect or an electrostrictive effect of the ceramic layer, namely, electric-field-induced distortion. When an AC voltage or a DC voltage with an AC component is applied on the ceramic electronic component, in some cases, a substrate on which this ceramic electronic component is mounted vibrates and generates sound due to the deformation of the ceramic electronic component. That phenomenon is referred to as acoustic noise.
The acoustic noise may cause discomfort for a user who uses an electronic device including such a ceramic electronic component. Thus, various techniques have been proposed to suppress the acoustic noise. One of the examples is described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-71106.
Recently, there have been more demands for further reduction of the acoustic noise.